When Worlds Collide
by MarigoldMusings
Summary: Ever wonder what happens when fan fiction OCs collide? Written by BOTH MarigoldMusings and JennBenson, come along on an even crazier adventure in which Sarah, Brooke, and Charlie discover each other…
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** _ **Isn't it great how complete strangers can become friends over the fictional pairing of television characters? Conceived as a result of two Tuckson fans putting their crazy thoughts together, this "crack fic" explores the meeting of JennBenson's Charlie and MarigoldMusing's Sarah and Brooke. It'll be a crazy adventure as Tucker's OC daughters meet and their lives converge. While we both want to know what you think, please keep in mind that this story is written PURELY for fun and is not meant to be taken seriously. Please review and include suggestions for future chapters!**_

Carisi saw Brooke before she saw him, so she jumped when he turned up behind her.

"Hey there," He said, poking her in the small of the back, "You look good for an overworked teacher."

Brooke slowly swiveled, "Well, that sounds like Detective Carisi." She grinned as he kissed her. "Good to see you again sir."

"It's been too long."

"You've been busy."

Carisi shrugged, "Gotta keep Manhattan safe, ya know?"

The bartender arrived and took Sonny's drink order. He returned immediately with a vodka tonic. Sonny thanked him for the quick service, twisted the lime, and lifted the glass.

"Cheers," he said.

"Cheers," she repeated.

Shortly after they'd downed their initial sips, Sarah came prancing in, and, as usual, seemed to suck up most of the oxygen in the room. She dropped her leather attache case on the floor, wiggled out of her peacoat, and tossed it over an empty barstool, allowing the hem to drag on the sticky wooden floor.

" _Gawwwd_ , I am so glad today's over." It was still early, so the bar wasn't crowded. Nevertheless, Sarah leaned forward and waved her arms, frantically signalling for attention.

"Will you calm down?" Brooke sniped.

"I need a drink. Right. Now." Sarah insisted.

"What exactly do you do again?" Sonny asked, laughing at Sarah's desperation.

"I manage other people's money," Sarah replied. Finally she got the bartender's attention and motioned for a gin-and-tonic with a lime and a lemon, identical to what her sister was drinking. "And this week was royally fucked up. Rollercoaster on the market."

"Wish I had money for you to manage," Sonny quipped.

"I wish _I_ had money for me to manage," Sarah whined, "New York is so _fucking_ expensive."

Brooke rolled her eyes, "Shhh, geez, Sare, we're not the only people in here ya know."

"Oh come on, Brooke, it's a bar. And there are like three _FUCKING_ people in here."

Sonny shook his head and laughed while surveying the area. The place was nearly empty except for two couples at two separate booths and a woman huddled at the far end of the bar. Nobody paid them any attention.

Charlie was sitting in the far corner at the bar of a pub she had never been to, waiting for Trevor to finally get off work and show up. She was trying not to down her gin and tonic, with extra lime, too quickly preferring to be sober upon his arrival. As she checked her phone again, she noticed the loud and slightly boisterous entrance of another young woman. It was hard not to stare just a little bit, but she tried to talk herself down.

 _Stop staring, Charlie. You won't make any friends by giving them strange looks._

Clearly the trio wasn't going to pay her any mind, so she just went back to checking football scores on her phone until she heard the bells ring, signaling someone entered the pub.

"Hey, sweetheart!" Trevor said, swiftly sitting down next to her and kissing her softly. "Sorry I'm late."

"It's okay," Charlie said with a smile and leaned up to kiss him again, albeit briefly. Trevor signaled for the bartender, placed his order, and finally relaxed into his barstool.

"Slow night tonight," he said, glancing around and getting a glimpse of two couples in booths before giving a quick look at the three people parked in the center of the bar. After doing a quick double take, he realized he recognized the man that was with the two giggling blondes.

"Hey, is that Carisi?" he asked Charlie and she looked over with a squint in her eyes.

"I think so?" She replied. "I don't really know him all that well. Haven't seen him since, well, Josh's sentencing."

"Ah," Trevor said, gripping her hand. "I'll just wait and see if he notices me. In the meantime, wanna split an appetizer?"

…

Sarah peeled her eyes away from her immediate audience to ogle at the tall, handsome man who had just sauntered in. Brooke continued talking, but Sarah paid no attention. Noticing this, both Brooke and Carisi followed Sarah's gaze.

"Gawwwwd," she murmured, "He's gorgeous."

Carisi scratched his head, "I think I know that guy from somewhere."

"Oh Sonny," Sarah swatted at him but still kept her eyes on the new arrival, "You know everybody."

"Calm down, sister," Brooke said, "He has a date." She watched the man take a seat next to the girl at the end of the bar and exchange kisses with her.

Sarah's expression turned into one of firm resolve. "I didn't see a ring. He's fair game."

Brooke took a sip, "He looks pretty into her. And she's cute. Sorry sis."

Sarah pouted.

Carisi leaned over, trying to get a better look at the couple. "The guy looks familiar, but she does too." He examined Brooke's face and then closely studied Sarah's.

" _What_?" Sarah snapped, annoyed.

"She looks a lot like you two."

Brooke rolled her eyes. "Her hair's way darker than ours."

"Don't you bleach yours?" Carisi asked innocently, not knowing both Sarah and Brooke would take offense.

" _No_ ," Brooke replied.

Sarah slung an arm around her sister's shoulders, " _Thank you_. We would never dye our hair, except when we get gray, of course." She glanced down at the strangers, "And besides, we're much better looking. Except, for, maybe not that guy. He'd fit in well with us. So tall and... _perfect_. The girl can go."

Just then "the girl", probably feeling the scrutiny, looked over, causing Brooke and Sarah to act overly casual.

"Omigod," Sarah gasped into her gin and tonic.

"I know," Brooke replied.

"What?" Sonny asked, unable to keep up with the sisters' unspoken communication.

"Lookit her," Sarah muttered.

Brooke completed the thought. "Like looking in a fucking mirror."

…

"Those girls keep staring at me," Charlie muttered, trying to focus on squeezing the lime into her drink. She was feeling uncomfortable.

"Maybe Carisi pointed out that he knew me," Trevor said. "I wouldn't worry about it. Although…"

"What?" Charlie's head snapped up, looking at Trevor as he closely examined the trio on the other side of the bar. "Why are you staring?"

"Aside from their hair being just a touch lighter than yours, you three are almost identical," Trevor said in a hushed whisper, almost as if it were some top-secret information.

"That's ridiculous," Charlie said, refusing to look over there anymore. "Stop looking at them and focus on me."

Trevor looked over at her and smiled, brushing her hair back from her face. He took a sip of his bourbon, the kind that Ed got him hooked on, and then leaned down to kiss his girlfriend.

"Now you are just rubbing it in," Charlie said with a smirk. "Stop the PDA."

"Nah," he said in a low, bedroom type voice. "I'm just making sure everyone knows that the most beautiful woman in this bar is all mine."

Charlie blushed and ducked her head. She still wasn't used to getting this kind of attention from someone, but she had to admit she was falling for Trevor. Just then, she stole a glance over at the trio and noticed they had been staring again. She immediately reached for Trevor's hand, staking her claim as well.

"The loud one keeps eyeing you," she said, with a little contempt in her voice. "I don't like it."

"Jealous, baby?" Trevor asked with a grin. "Gonna let me keep PDA-ing?"

"You're impossible," she said, throwing her head back as she laughed. Trevor rubbed her back a bit as Charlie straightened up and took one more look at the girls across the bar. That was when her jaw, the same one that she got from her father, dropped. "Holy shit."

"What?" He asked, alarmed at her sudden change of demeanor.

"I do look just like them…"

…

Carisi shifted back and forth from foot to foot; he was keyed up and hyper, looking forward to a free weekend with Brooke and whatever they decided to do. He hadn't had much direct contact with Trevor Langan, but he felt like he should at least offer a cursory hello.

"I'm gonna go over and say hi," he announced cautiously, expecting Sarah to deride him for his collegiality, but, she only waved him off and leaned in for a sisterly whisper.

Carisi made his way over, smiled broadly, and held his hand out to Langan, "Counselor, right? Langan? Sonny Carisi."

Trevor shook his hand and smiled cautiously, knowing Carisi's company had already rubbed Charlie the wrong way. "Yeah, how are you, ah, _Detective_ , right?"

"That's right," Sonny replied and shifted his glance to Brooke, "And who's this?"

"My girlfriend, Charlotte," he said looking over at her while speaking, just to make sure she was okay with him speaking for her. He knew enough about Carisi to know that unless he got more information, they wouldn't be left alone. Charlie seemed to nod at him, so Trevor continued. "Known each other a few years, brought together by none other than the NYPD. Her father's a Captain."

Sonny raised his eyebrows at the funny coincidence, "Oh? My girlfriend's father is NYPD. That's her over there," Sonny jerked his head in the direction of Brooke and Sarah, "With her sister."

Charlie downed the rest of her drink and signaled for the bartender to bring them another round. If Carisi was going to insist on being chatty, she needed more alcohol. New people, or even slightly familiar people, were not her thing and she didn't like the way the one girl was eyeing Trevor.

Carisi took the hint that Langan and his date wanted to keep to themselves, so he bade them farewell and sauntered back over to the girls.

"That didn't take long," Brooke remarked, yanking Sonny over to her, wanting to hold him close for a few seconds.

"Yeah, they didn't seem to want to chat," Sonny reported gloomily, "But, coincidentally, the girl? Turns out her Dad's NYPD, too."

Sarah snorted, "Hah! Oh yeah?" She gave Brooke a playful shove, "Brookey, Daddy's probably _way_ higher up than her Dad. And, maybe he's even investigated him! Omigod, omigod, omigod, Sonny, we _have_ to go over there and talk to them, or, buy them a shot or something so they have to talk to us."

" _Sarah_ ," Brooke snapped, annoyed, "What are the chances of that being true? You make up ridiculous things in that deranged head of yours. And Sonny said her Dad _is_ NYPD, so it's not like Dad took his badge or anything."

"So competitive," Sonny observed, amused, "Should we challenge them to darts, too?"

Sarah shrugged, "Maybe. I suck, but you and Brooke can play. At any rate, I definitely wouldn't mind getting to know your buddy a little better."

Carisi and Brooke had just recently started using the terms _boyfriend_ and _girlfriend_ , but Sonny had already perfected the eye roll most Tucker family members employed at least once per conversation with Sarah. "Seems like she's his girlfriend."

Sarah rolled _her_ eyes, "Oh gawwwwd," she huffed, exasperated, "You people act like relationships are so permanent. Fuck." She waved over the bartender and looked back and forth from Brooke to Sonny, "What kinda shots are we sending them?"

"You wanna get going?" Trevor asked Charlie quietly, noticing she had clammed up ever since Carisi had come over. He watched her take a deep breath, indicating she was having some kind of inner conversation with herself and likely trying to convince herself it was okay to make friends, but when she looked back up at him it was with a resigned face.

"Yeah," she said, giving him an apologetic smile. "Might be best."

Trevor just shook his head, indicating there was nothing to be sorry about, and leaned over to kiss her. That was when he heard a throat clearing, and peeled himself away from Charlie to see the bartender dropping off two reddish-brown colored shots.

"The young ladies over there sent these over," he said. "Cheers."

Charlie and Trevor looked over at the trio once again and saw they were still a little giggly but had raised their shot glasses to them. Resigned to the fact that these people were not going to leave them alone, at least for the time being, the couple raised the shot glass to them and muttered a thank you before all five young adults downing liquor. Charlie immediately reached for her water to chase, as it had been surprisingly spicy, while Trevor just smiled at her.

"Fireball," he said quietly, kissing her to get a bit more flavor from the shot, then turning to the group who gifted it to them. "Been years since I've had that. Thanks for the throwback."

"No problem," Sonny called over to them with a smirk.

Brooke peeled herself from the barstool, hissing, "you two are so rude."

Sarah murmured, "We bought them a fucking _shot_ ," but Brooke was already walking away. She weaved through the thickening crowd and wedged herself at the very end of the bar so, as she spoke to Trevor and Charlie, she could see Sarah casting a prying stare from fifteen feet away.

"Hi," Brooke put a reassuring hand on Charlie's shoulder. By now, she'd had a few drinks and was feeling overly nice and kind and responsible for her tactless sister. "Sorry about the choice of liquor...it wasn't _my_ first choice but my sister demanded we do Fireball. I actually hate it." Brooke waited for the girl or for Trevor to say something, but they both just looked quizzically at her. "So...your father's NYPD, too?"

"Yes," the girl replied curtly.

 _Okaayyy_ , Brooke thought, starting to adopt Sarah's attitude. _Geez_. She decided to try breaking the ice with Langan. "So, you're a lawyer?"

"Yep," he said, with slightly more enthusiasm than his date.

"Prosecution or defense?"

"Defense mostly."

"I wanted to be a lawyer," Brooke was making this up for small talk's sake. The more she looked at the girl the more she noticed how closely her features matched Sarah's. Of the two sisters, Brooke's face was rounder and softer, Sarah's cheeks, forehead, and jaw were more defined like their father's. Even now, wearing a faint frown, the girl bore such a striking resemblance, Brooke had to keep talking in order to prolong the analysis. "But I became a teacher instead. I guess I just got sick of school."

"Law school is a bear," Langan replied.

"What do you do?" Brooke asked the girl.

"I work for ESPN," Charlie said, warming up slightly to Brooke's warm personality and keen smile. As she spoke, she couldn't help but notice that despite a different hair color, it was basically like looking in the mirror. "I mainly cover college sports, writing and doing off camera interviews."

"Watching football with her is an experience," Trevor said proudly, also offering a little smirk towards Charlie in hopes of encouraging her to loosen up a bit.

"Oh, wow!" Brooke was truly impressed and made sure she conveyed that sentiment. "Um, I don't think I caught your name. I'm Brooke."

"Charlie."

"Nice to meet you. Again, I'm sorry for those disgusting shots, but, we were planning on playing darts or pool or something. Do you two want to join us? My sister's horrible at both, so it'll at least be fun to laugh at her." Brooke didn't wait for a response. She waved Sarah and Sonny over.

Sarah nearly crashed into Trevor. "Well, _helllooo_ , new friends." Even though she used the word "friends" she was buzzed up and sounded more menacing than well-intentioned. She craned her head to look up at Trevor, "How tall are you?"

Carisi shook his head and glanced helplessly at Brooke who shot lasers at her sister.

" _Whaaat_?" Sarah whined, noticing the glare but keeping her eyes fixed on Langan, "Were you a pro basketball player or something?"

"No," he replied.

"Trevor's a lawyer," Brooke explained gently like she was talking to Noah.

Sarah widened her eyes with interest, "A divorce lawyer? I need one of those."

"Sorry," Trevor said, "I haven't done a divorce case in years."

"But you could if I needed you to, right?"

Carisi was appalled at Sarah's presumptuousness. "He's a defense attorney, Sare. So, if you want to hire him, you'd have to commit some type of crime. Which, considering how fast you're drinking, could happen tonight."

Brooke switched places with Sonny so she could be next to her sister, "This is Charlie," Brooke said, trying to change the subject and get Sarah to tone down her flirting. "And, in a way, we're kind of related...being NYPD kids and all." Brooke smiled at Charlie. "Was it hard for you growing up with a cop Dad?"

"Ummm," Charlie replied, chewing on her fingernail a bit and trying to decide how to answer. She still wasn't very comfortable, but clearly this Brooke girl was trying to be friendly. The least she could do was reciprocate, and maybe even stake her claim on Trevor. "Yeah, in a way. He wasn't around much. Now he's more involved, though. He and Trev like to play basketball on the weekends. And for some reason enjoy letting me decimate them in the batting cages." She smiled a bit as she noticed Brooke and Carisi were actually interested in what she was saying, even laughing a little bit with her, so she figured it was okay to let the other girl's flirting go. Trevor wasn't going anywhere. "What about with you two? I imagine it might be a bit easier with a built-in-friend?"

"Omigawwwwd," Sarah replied before Brooke managed to utter a word, "When we were little, like, eight or nine, Daddy was neverrrr around because he was always out...I don't know, on the hostage team or something, but then he switched departments and our parents got divorced and our bitch of a mother basically kidnapped us to Long Island so we spent our early teenage years shuttling back and forth on the train." Only the need for a drink stopped Sarah's verbal barrage. "Where in the hell is that bartender? Jesus. I know it's getting busy, but, _damn_."

Carisi leaned far over the bar to get someone's attention, knowing if Sarah was ignored for much longer, things could get ugly.

Brooke put an arm around her sister, "Sarah exaggerates. But only slightly. We were not kidnapped. Our mom got remarried and Dad changed jobs to have a more predictable schedule, and we felt more comfortable with him than with this new family. We have a half brother, but we hardly know him. He was just starting to talk when I went off to college, and Sarah lived with Dad in high school."

Unwilling to let Charlie's Dad have some sort of leg up over theirs, Sarah chimed in, "And Daddy's super athletic, but we never played sports. We're very good at watching them and having him buy us thirteen dollar beers at Yankees games."

Satisfied Sarah was calming down, Brooke released her from the shoulder grasp. Another round of drinks arrived and the group clinked glasses.

"To new friends," Sonny offered cheerfully.

Brooke repeated the toast, but doubted Charlie and Trevor would become their friends.

"New friends," Charlie said quietly, but the group heard her and seemed a little surprised as they began to sip their drinks. As she sat her fresh gin and tonic on the counter, he took a breath and turned to face the sisters more. _You can do this, Charlie. Just be friendly._

"I have a half sister," she offered. "I guess similar to what you described, Sarah, except my...mother...if that's what you would call her, took me off to Florida. Dad missed most of my teenage years. Reconnected when I moved back up here for college."

Trevor put his arm around Charlie, proud of her for letting go and speaking up more, although he was confident it was all liquid courage.

"I don't talk to my mom anymore," she offered, hoping her openness would come across as an olive branch of sorts. "Just Dad, my step-mom and step-brother. He's four."

Brooke and Sarah exchanged shocked glances.

"We have a step-mom and a four-year-old stepbrother," Brooke said slowly.

"Real moms are the fucking worst," Sarah snapped, failing to see the other part of this very strange coincidence. "If it weren't for our step-mother, who, as a matter of fact, I see as my real mother, then I seriously would need ya, Trev, 'cause I've wanted to kill her several times. You could probably get me off claiming mental instability or something right?"

She batted her eyes at Trevor, flirting again, and Brooke inconspicuously pinched her just above the hip.

"I don't think that would take a lot of convincing," Trevor said, in a half-joking and half-serious tone.

"Wait," Charlie said, trying to shake herself out of a tipsy fog. This was too weird. She couldn't figure out if she was just drunker than she realized, in some weird dream, or if real life was this strange. "So...both of our Dads are NYPD. We both have a step-mother and four-year-old stepbrother…"

"And you girls look like fucking triplets," Carisi threw in, clearly just as drunk as the rest of them.

At that comment, and feeling this strange desire to offer his girlfriend some extra support, Trevor reached out and squeezed Charlie's hand.

"It is a strange coincidence," he muttered, downing the rest of his drink before slamming it back on the bar. "Oops," he said. "Didn't mean to do that."

Sarah blinked rapidly, trying to clear the fog of her buzz and get a clear focus on this new person who really did look like a relative. Narrowing her eyes, she peered at Charlie and stepped closer and closer until she was only inches from the other young woman's face. Charlie tried to lean back, but could only go so far away from the blonde as she was backed against the wall of the bar. Brooke looked on nervously, knowing how unpredictable Sarah was both sober and drunk. She inched even closer and Brooke finally pushed her back gently, but firmly enough to cause Sarah to stumble into Sonny.

"Whoah, there," Carisi said, giggling, "You alright? Want another shot?"

" _No_ ," Brooke implored, but nobody paid attention to her.

Sarah rubbed her temples. Consternation flooded her face. "What. The. _Fuck_."

"What the hell?" Charlie asked softly, shaking her head a bit. "Ever hear of someone's personal space?"

Trevor just rubbed at her back, hoping that didn't erase the progress made so far in this strange interaction. He watched as Charlie pulled her cell out of her back pocket and quickly shot off a text to Ed, though he couldn't quite make out what it said.

"You okay?" He whispered in her ear, much to Sarah's dismay, and Charlie just nodded.

"Yep," she said, plastering a smile on her face and signaling the bartender to get another round. "Next round is on us," she said, leaning into Trevor a little more than she usually did. But this was not a normal evening. "Then, how about a round of darts?"

"Yes!" Sarah exclaimed. "I love darts!"

Brooke scoffed, "You do not. But, yeah, let's play. It'll be good to move a little bit."

The quintet moved to the dart area and Sarah, despite proclaiming her love of the game, agreed to let the couples battle it out first. "I'll just drink," she slurred, raising her glass before downing the rest of its contents. "And I'll also be responsible for refills! Anyone?"

They shook their heads.

"Maybe in a few minutes," Carisi said, "Right now, it's _on_!"

They let Charlie throw first and her dart landed on the edge of the bullseye. Carisi and Trevor walked up to the board to inspect the shot, and Brooke and Sarah marvelled at her skill.

"Holy SHIT, girl!" Sarah shouted. "You're fucking amazing."

Brooke nodded in agreement, "You can probably beat them by yourself. And everyone else here."

Charlie blushed a bit, then smiled at the girls. "Well, maybe we can use that to our advantage later. The whole place will be buying our drinks if we play our cards right…"

Just then, they heard the jingling of the bells attached to the bar door signaling that someone else was entering. It was as if life was happening in slow motion, as all five heads turned towards the door to observe the older, grey haired man walk in and take a scan of the room as if he were looking for someone in particular. Just then, the man made eye contact with the three women over by the dart board and they all let out a little gasp.

"Hey, that's my Dad!"

….

 **Review, Anyone?**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Tucker Has Some 'Splainin' to Do!**_

Ed Tucker stood at the entrance to Quinn's, shaking his head back and forth in confusion. What was going on? Off in the corner, near the dartboard, stood Brooke, Sarah, and Charlie.

"What the hell?" he muttered to himself, trying to figure out if he was in some kind of weird dream. Memories of all three daughters were swirling in his head, but none of it made sense. Was this one of those times that a former life met a current life? Did that happen? "I need a drink," he once again muttered as he ordered his Bourbon, downing it in one sip.

Sarah ran directly to her father and practically knocked him over with her hug. "Daddy!" She gushed, "What are you doing here? I'm glad you came. I am _so_ bored watching these people play darts. And I haven't seen you in forever."

"Just, uh…" Ed searched for words and motioned for another drink. He shot the bartender a grateful look when it was delivered quickly.

"Well, it's partially my fault, I've been sooo busy with work, ugh, I shoulda been a teacher like Brookey, she gets so much time off and, like, me? I'm constantly _going going going_." Sarah babbled on and on, but Ed couldn't process what she was saying. He stood motionless, staring at Charlie and Brooke...and was that Langan and Carisi? Sarah, hating darts but hating her father's stunned silence even more, dragged him over to the dart board. On the way Ed tried to figure out how to navigate this touchy situation. He still had no clue what to say or do when Brooke approached.

"Hey Daddio," she said nonchalantly, hugging him, and, in the process, peeling Sarah away. "Fancy meeting you here," Brooke joked. "I know you complain you never get to see us, but...are you tracking our phones or something?"

Ed forced a laugh.

Carisi was next to come over, greeting him with a "hiya Captain" and a collegial slap on the shoulder. "We're just about done with this game. You wanna play with Brooke in the next round?"

Brooke, Sarah, and Sonny stared at him expectantly, waiting for an answer. Meanwhile, they noticed his eyes were now fixated on Charlie as Trevor went to put his arm around her offering support. She seemed to be staring back at Ed and then opened her mouth as she dropped the ultimate bomb on the group.

"Hey, dad," she said, now completely unsure of herself and the situation. "Thanks for coming down…"

They all just stood there, Ed still trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Charlie hadn't texted him an SOS for a while, so when he received her message, he figured something was really wrong. This scene right here was definitely not what he was expecting. The rest of them were clearly trying to work their way out of tipsy stupors, in an attempt to make sense of what was happening.

"Well, this is awkward." Ed muttered, not knowing what else to say.

Carisi temporarily saved them. "Here ya go, Captain," he said, shoving a handful of darts into his hand, "You're up."

Sarah pushed her way into the forefront. "Daddy, you'll play with me."

Even in the middle of this strange coincidence, Ed grinned and rolled his eyes at Sarah. " _You_ want to play?"

"Yes I do," she replied confidently. "Us against Trevor and Charlie."

Ed glanced over at the other young couple and saw Charlie's hesitance at the entire situation. Trevor had moved to her side, also eyeing the Captain, curious as to how this was going to play out.

"I think I'm going to need another drink," Trevor muttered to Charlie, who quickly nodded.

"Next round is on us," Charlie said softly, avoiding eye contact. "Dad, your usual?"

"Sure," he replied. "I'll set up the scoreboard." He said, almost as if it were a question, and he made his way to the chalkboard, rubbing his temple along the way muttering " _what the fuck…_ "

Sarah, muttering to Brooke, mocked Charlie in a nasally voice, " _Dad, your usual_?"

Brooke, ever the mediator, reprimanded her sister under her breath, "Shut up. Dad's freaking out. Don't make this worse."

"What the fuck _is_ this?"

"I don't know but, just, play darts and be nice."

Sarah glared at her. "I'm playing darts, but I don't have to be nice. You're not my mother."

"Who is?" Brooke asked sarcastically.

"No fucking kidding." Sarah saw Charlie, Trevor trailing her, making their way back with the drinks, and Sarah turned again to Brooke with wide eyes, "And, did you notice? That girl-"

"Charlie," Brooke interrupted.

" _Charlie_ ," Sarah whined, "Drinks the G -n-T the same way we do."

"That could be a coincidence," Brooke pointed out.

"Nothing is a coincidence," Sarah said, "Especially not today." She took a deep breath. "Ok...if there's ever been a time to be good at sports, this is it. Wish me luck, sister."

"Good luck," Brooke said, "I hope you win and I hope Dad says he loves you best."

Sarah gave her a little wink and walked over to the game.

Carisi, who was now seated at a nearby high top table and clearing experiencing the effects of the shots and cocktails, slurred encouragement to Sarah. "Gogetem!" He exclaimed, laughing, just as Trevor placed a full glass in front of him. "Thanks counselor! Next one's on me!"

"Sounds good," Trevor responded. "I have a feeling we are going to need several more rounds tonight…" He then turned to Charlie, who still refused to make eye contact with anyone but him, and encouraged her to loosen up. "Come on, your dad may be decent at darts, but that blonde is sloshed and not coordinated at all. Piece of cake."

"Nothing about this is a piece of cake right now," she mumbled, but followed his lead to gather their own darts. "Why are we even doing this? _I_ texted him. He's here to hang out with us, not them. They don't even like me."

"That's not true," Trevor weakly argued, and Charlie just glared at him. "Okay, maybe a little true. But we don't have to like them back. So down that drink and let's show her who is in control here."

Charlie just smiled at Trevor, he was the perfect balance for her introverted nature. "Okay," she said, taking a deep breath and clearly gaining her confidence. She turned to Sarah and Ed with her usual, competitive smirk.

"Show me what you got, blondie," she said, stepping out of the way and signaling for Sarah to go first.

Adjusting her ponytail, Sarah stepped up and took the darts from her father. Squinting, she lined up her first shot and instead of throwing it with the proper form, threw it more like a baseball...but like someone who had never thrown a baseball before in her life. The throw barely clipped the outer edge of the board and the dart bounded off to the side, nearly hitting Carisi's leg. Charlie unsuccessfully tried to hold in chuckle, but Trevor elbowed her to pull it together. Before she could get out another snarky comment, Carisi did his own ribbing at Sarah.

"Whoa there!" He called, giggling, "The object is to hit that round circle, ya know, the one with the numbers all around it?"

"Shut up," Sarah said, lining up her second throw.

"Just take your time," Ed coached, "And you don't need to wind up like that, just use your elbow, nice and relaxed."

Sarah craned her neck and batted her eyes at him, "Ok Daddy," she said sweetly.

Her next throw was better, but not worth any points.

"At least that one stayed on the board, " Brooke remarked.

Sarah threw the next one more confidently and hit seventeen. "Yes!" She exclaimed triumphantly and peered at Charlie, " _That's_ what I got. Right there. I just needed to warm up a little!"

Charlie just rolled her eyes a little bit. "Helluva warm up," she muttered, but loud enough for everyone to hear her. She walked briskly over to the board, grabbed the darts, and took her place behind the line. She was about to throw her first dart, but then put her arm down and turned around to where Sarah was standing right next to Ed. "Hey Dad, remember last time we played?"

Ed finally let out a little laugh and shook his head. "Yeah, you destroyed me."

"You still owe me a shot for that," Charlie responded with playful smirk, before lining up and throwing her first dart expertedly. "Bulls-eye," she said, almost as if she wasn't surprised. She smiled over at Trevor, who was just grinning with pride, and continued her turn. Once she was done, she looked over to Sarah.

"Sorry, the math is a little too complicated with this much gin," she said. "Anyone have a calculator for my score?" Trevor just cracked up and came over, wrapping his arms around her from behind.

"Behave," he whispered.

"Didn't you just tell me to loosen up and take control?" She turned and asked, incredulously.

"Okay, well, yeah I did," he said. "But try not to get in a fist fight okay?"

"Fine," she muttered and stepped back, deciding to stand a little closer to Brooke since she seemed to be a little more sensible and safe. "Dad, your turn."

Still incredibly confused by all of a sudden having three daughters in one place, Ed quickly chugged his bourbon, shook his head, and grabbed the darts. " _Focus, Ed_ ," he coached himself. " _This is just some weird dream…_ "

Ed was able to temporarily focus on the game because his own competitive drive was being crushed by Sarah's lack of skill. No matter what he did to help their score, her turns were wasted. He may as well have been playing on his own. After Trevor took the last turn and Charlie added up the scores, Ed's shoulders momentarily slumped in defeat.

Sarah tried to console him, "It's ok, Daddio," she said, wrapping her arm around his neck in a drunken hug, "We'll get 'em next time."

"I don't think there'll be a next time," he replied, "And if there is, I'm playing with Charlie."

Sarah's eyes shot menacing lasers at her father and she almost violently pushed him away. Ed made his way over to Charlie and high-fived her.

"Nicely done, kiddo," he said before turning to a now fuming Sarah and an incredibly confused looking Brooke. "Okay, let's rip the band-aid. Sarah, Brooke...this is Charlie. Charlie...meet Sarah and Brooke. Looks like I have three girls..." he said, hold his hands out as if he were gesturing to all of them

"Awwww, shit," Carisi said in his drunken stupor, slapping Trevor on the back. Trevor shot him an odd look, before looking back over at the, apparently, four Tuckers.

"Well, that was not where I saw this evening going," he said under his breath.

Ed swallowed. He needed a minute. And more alcohol. "How about I get us another round?"

Everyone nodded eagerly. Booze seemed to be the only way to navigate the weirdness.

Sarah, Brooke, and Charlie faced each other with Carisi and Trevor on the outside of their little semi-circle, looking like, at any minute, they were ready to break up a brawl.

There was no brawl, but Sarah's words were venomous.

" _We_ ," she snapped, gesturing at Brooke, "Are Daddy's daughters. He's been with us for Christmases and birthdays and everything else. Who the hell are _you_?"

Brooke nudged her, "Sarah, stop it. Obviously, Dad has some skeletons, er, and also another daughter...in his closet. He'll explain himself."

Charlie wasn't going to let Sarah's statement go, despite the obvious effort Brooke was making to keep the peace. "Funny," she said. "Because the last, oh, five Christmases or so, he's been with me. Maybe you need some medication."

Trevor, seeing the situation escalating, and noticing the lag in Ed's return, went over to stand by Charlie and get her to take a step back. "Calm down, babe," he said. "It's not worth it. Your dad...you know he's your dad. And he will explain this. I hope."

Charlie, feeling incredibly uncomfortable under Sarah's glare, but refusing to let it show, went in for the kill. She turned in Trevor's arms and leaned up to plant a deep, passionate kiss on his lips. "You're right," she said, kissing him again.

Sarah, having no one to kiss at the moment, instead scrunched up her face and mentally calculated how her father could have possibly made himself available to two separate families all these years. "I don't believe it," she murmured, suddenly sounding incredibly sober, "How old are you?" She asked Charlie.

"Why would I tell you that?" Charlie snapped back at her, not willing to give this girl an inch.

Sarah let out a frustrated groan. "Brookey, this is fucking ridiculous. Where's Daddy? Go get him. Why wouldn't he have told us he had another kid? He's always so… _you gotta do the right thing_ ," Sarah imitated his voice, "I. Do. Not. Believe. This."

Brooke shrugged. "Why would he lie now? He just said he has _three_ girls."

"He has two," Sarah insisted defiantly, scowling at Charlie, "And he will always have two. Only two."

"No," Charlie said firmly. "He has _ONE._ And _I_ will go get him, because _I_ texted him to meet me here." Charlie walked off, in an effort to find her father, with Trevor following closely behind. He finally caught up to her and grabbed her elbow. Charlie tried to shrug him off, unsuccessfully, and finally resolved herself to his hold. "WHAT?" she demanded.

"Calm down," Trevor said. "Let your dad explain and stop pushing their buttons."

"No," she said. "Blondie started it. And he's MY dad."

"I know that, you know that," Trevor said, then lowered his voice to a softer tone. "But, it's possible he has some...well...things to explain here. So, let's give him the chance. And try not to make this worse?"

"How could this possibly get any worse," Charlie muttered, as Trevor drug her back over to the group in which Ed had finally rejoined. As they got closer, Charlie noticed Sarah laying her head on his shoulder and Brooke seemingly deep in conversation with him. "I can't compete with that…" she said, her voice suddenly resigned to being the outsider again.

Childlike Sarah always annoyed Brooke, but, for the moment, she tolerated it. After all, the past hour or so had been pretty distressing. "Dad," Brooke reasoned, "Should we, uh, me and Sarah, should we just go? I don't think anything good is gonna come out of this. We're all pretty sloshed."

Ed sipped his drink with one hand and patted Sarah's back with the other. "It's fine. We just need to get this one here to calm down."

"You're _our_ Daddy," Sarah whined, "This girl, she's lying. What? Does she think you have money or something?"

"Sarah," Ed replied in his most soothing voice, "She's not lying."

"Now _you're_ lying," she sneered, pushing him away for the second time that night.

"Sare, let's just go," Brooke said. "Sonny's ready, too. Maybe-"

"Where's Livvie?" Sarah asked.

"She's at home," Ed replied nonchalantly, as if they were in the middle of a normal conversation.

Before Sarah could ask if Olivia knew about Charlie, they were interrupted by Sonny. "CAPTAIN!" He said, slapping Ed's back again, this time, a little too hard. "Pool?"

Ed forced a laugh, "I don't think so, bud. Probably not the best idea. Even though Charlie here can kick everyone's ass at that, too."

The compliment was too much for Sarah. She stalked off towards the bathrooms and Brooke followed. Carisi, noticing the opportunity despite his drunken stupor, grabbed Trevor by the shoulder. "No worries, Captain. Trevor here will play with me. You and...err...your daughter? Yeah. Her. You can chat."

Ed just rolled his eyes and nodded to Trevor in thanks, even though the man's expression had one of " _please save me_ " to it. As they walked away, Ed turned to look at Charlie who was standing completely still, arms wrapped around herself.

"Are they really, um, your daughters?" she asked quietly. Ed just went over to gently grab her elbow and lead her to the stools by their empty-glass covered tabletop.

"They are," he said. "And so are you."

"They said you spent Christmases with them…" she said. "But you were with me."

"Well," Ed began, trying to explain that one even though he had no idea himself.

"Do they know Olivia?" Charlie asked, but Ed still wasn't really sure to get an answer out. It was just too strange. "Ya know," Charlie finally said, pulling her cell out and again shooting off a text. "I don't need to know right now."

Ed just took a deep breath and examined the daughter sitting with him at the moment. Her face was almost the spitting image of Sarah, and her light brown locks seemed to mirror Brooke's hair texture. As strange as this entire situation was, he couldn't help but feel a strange peace come over him at having all three of his daughters in one place. Maybe...just maybe...this could work out for the better. He had no idea how, but a man can dream. Ed must have been lost in thought longer than he realized, because he heard Charlie mutter " _shit"_ under her breath which could only signal one thing.

Brooke and Sarah, walking with their arms around the each other's waist, swayed their way back. Somehow, they looked fresh and clean, as if they'd just showered and put on a new layer of makeup. Unable to stay completely upright, Sarah nestled her head under Brooke's chin and smiled whimsically, as if her big sister were telling her the most pleasant story. However, when she saw how close Ed and Charlie were, she snapped herself upright and grimaced.

"Ugh," she groaned, "Lookit that."

" _Sarah_ ," Brooke warned, "You love Dad, right?"  
"Of course, dummy, if I didn't, why would I be so upset?"

"He's probably upset, too. Don't make it worse for him by being a bitch."

The corners of Sarah's mouth turned upward into the most sickeningly sweet smile-it was a smile Brooke knew well. Sarah used it whenever she had to feign kindness. "Well, then," she replied firmly, again sounding way too sober for the amount of drinks she'd consumed, "I shall be the most pleasant young lady in Manhattan for the rest of the day." She sauntered over to Ed and Charlie. "Hey guys...whose turn is it to buy the next round?"

Before Ed and Charlie could recover from the complete 180 Sarah had taken, the jingle of the bar door sounded again, marking yet another patron's entrance. Brooke and Sarah ignored the new visitor at first, but Charlie's face fell in complete relief as she shot up from her stool and made her way towards the brunette who just entered.

"MA!" she exclaimed, as she went right into Olivia Benson's waiting arms, ignoring the slack jaws of the rest of their party. Olivia, still unsure as to why she was there, held the girl tightly before she met Ed's eyes and noticed his distress. That was when she saw Brooke and Sarah standing next to him, their eyes as wide as saucers. Olivia did a double take, looking down at Charlie's profile nestled on her shoulder, then back up at Brooke and Sarah.

"What the hell…"

…

 _ **Thoughts? Leave a Review!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**We left the last chapter with Olivia arriving and Charlie greeting her with a "MA!" So…let's see what ensues in our little crack fic world….**_

" _Ma_?" Sarah stuck her jaw out and shot daggers at Charlie, her eyes formed into narrow slits. Brooke swore her blue irises turned blood red and she clutched Sonny's forearm, anticipating a full blown Sarah tantrum.

"Hey, sweetheart," Olivia said tentatively, as she hugged Charlie close to her and took in the scene around her. From a distance she caught Ed's eye and gave him a confused look, but he just shrugged and moved on, so she focused on Charlie. "What's going on?"

"Thanks for coming…" she said, pulling away slightly, but making sure to keep some kind of contact with Olivia, almost as if she were staking her claim the way Sarah had with Ed. "Who are _they_?" she asked, giving a wary glance over at Brooke and Sarah, noticing the venom in Sarah's expression.

"I…." Olivia said, not really sure what to say at this point without talking to Ed. "Are you okay?" she asked, once again choosing to focus on the fact that her daughter was basically shaking in her arms.

"No," Charlie said. "I want to know who they are, and why that one looks like she wants to kill me."

Across the room, Sarah hissed a question into Brooke's ear, "Did she just call Livvie _Ma_?" She then flung herself over to Ed. "Daddy? _Ma_?"

Ed looked from Charlie and Olivia to Sarah to Brooke and then did the circuit in reverse before blowing out a pained stream of air.

"Yeah, she calls her Ma," he answered nonchalantly.

At this point, Ed noticed the fiery look he was getting from his wife and begrudgingly made his way over to them, taking a deep breath along the way. He could tell Sarah was about to lose her shit, so he needed to figure out a way to diffuse the situation and fast. His prayer was that Olivia had some kind of idea, because he was completely at a loss and confused.

"Sare just calm down," Brooke soothed.

"Don't tell me to fucking calm down, Brooke. That girl just called our Livvie _Ma_. She's calling our Dad _Dad_. What the fuck is going on here?"

"I'm sure there's an explanation."

"Your dad," Carisi slurred, " _Islivingadoublelife_ " Then he erupted into giggles and muttered to himself, "I _love_ Captain Tucker!"

"Except he's not," Brooke said, sounding rational, "or else Olivia is, too."

Sarah's features hardened so much that she looked unmistakably like a female Ed Tucker. With balled fists and tensed shoulders Sarah marched directly to where Olivia was still standing with Charlie and Ed.

Olivia, knowing how volatile Sarah could get when she felt threatened or even when she was just mildly upset, stepped forward to intercept her before she could get to Charlie. "Hey, Sare," she said softly, putting a hand on her arm, "What's going on?"

Sarah fumed at the casual greeting. "What's going _on_? Are you fucking kidding me, Livvie?"

Brooke heard Sarah and rushed over. Her sister had a notoriously vile potty mouth, but Sarah usually toned things down around Olivia. "Sarah, stop it." Brooke locked eyes with her stepmother, "Hey, Liv, we're kinda...having a rough afternoon here."

Sarah shook loose from Brooke's grasp. Her eyes were red with anger but also beginning to well up with tears, "Brooke, will you stop trying to play fucking mediator? Livvie, we're here with Carisi grabbing some drinks and we see this girl," Sarah pointed a finger at Charlie, lunging over Olivia in the process, so her manicured nail was only inches from Charlie's face, "and all of a sudden we're hanging out and then Daddy shows up...and…" Sarah's eyes practically rolled back in her head, "He's _her_ Daddy, too?"

Brooke was worried Sarah's anger would soon turn physical, so, once again, she led her away from the center of the conflict to where Carisi and Trevor were huddled over the high top table. Brooke tried to silently plead with Carisi for help, but he was far too deep in the gin and whatever else they'd consumed over the course of the afternoon. Trevor was her only hope.

"Do you have any idea what's happening here?" Brooke asked, hoping Trevor would know or at least lie.

"Charlie's Mom and Dad are meeting us for drinks," he replied light-heartedly and glanced at Sonny, "But I don't think we'll last much longer."

Brooke still clutched Sarah's arm, "Well, this one is about to combust."

"Yeah, I'm glad I'm dating the sister who's a little more mellow."

Now it was Brooke's turn to be incredulous. She peered at Trevor through slitted eyes, "You seriously believe we're sisters?"

"That's what Captain Tucker said. He wouldn't lie."

Brooke stared over at Ed, Olivia, and Charlie who appeared to be engaged in conversation and didn't look the least bit stressed. _What the hell?_ She thought to herself, still struggling to keep Sarah from darting back over there.

Meanwhile, Charlie was still pressing Olivia for more information. "Who are they, Ma?" she asked for at least the third time. Olivia's eyes darted to Ed's, who just shrugged. A little infuriated with him, Olivia let out a frustrated sigh.

"That's Brooke and Sarah," she said simply.

"Are they really...Dad's daughters?" Charlie asked, getting down to the point because she was done with this entire scenario and feeling like she was about to get punched by this tipsy, loud blonde.

"Yes," Ed said, finally finding his voice. "Brooke and Sarah are my daughters."

Charlie felt like she had been punched in the gut and backed up from her parents, shaking her head in confusion. "What the hell?" She asked, as the tears began to flow. When it was clear neither of them knew what to say, she turned and went straight to Trevor, grabbing his arm and yanking him up.

"We are leaving," she said through her tears, her facial expression clearly one of betrayal and hurt.

In the midst of a full-blown sob session, Sarah sniffled and leaned her head into Brooke before grabbing for the napkin dispenser. She made the move just as Charlie did the exact same thing. Sarah looked up at her, saw Charlie's tears and anguish, and realized she probably looked the exact same way. "Um," she said, pulling her hand back, "Go ahead." Charlie pulled a few napkins from the dispenser and slid it towards Sarah. "Thanks," Sarah replied, still choking back whimpers, "Um...did you...did you know about us?"

"No," Charlie said in a whisper, clutching at Trevor's arm and not making eye contact with Sarah just yet. "I had no idea…" she said, taking a breath and trying unsuccessfully to stop her tears. "Did you know about me?"

"Do you think I would be reacting this way if I did?" Sarah snapped, but quickly changed her tone and actually tried to reach out for Charlie before reconsidering, "I'm sorry...it's just a bit of a shock...and, well, I can be a little, nutso sometimes."

"That's for sure!" Carisi interjected to everyone's surprise. They'd all assumed he was passed out or at least incapable of making sense of anything.

Sarah stepped away from Brooke and closer to Charlie, "And you...you know Noey?"

"Yeah," Charlie said, smiling for the first time the entire night giving away that she definitely had Tucker blood running through her veins, as she had the same dimple to her smirk as Ed. "He's, well, probably my best little friend...as pathetic as that sounds…" Charlie shrugged a little bit and finally looked up at the two blonde sisters. They were clearly just as confused, and if Sarah was calming down, maybe they didn't have to leave just yet. "Obviously, you know him too?" she asked, suddenly surprised the four year old hadn't spilled the beans previously. This whole situation just kept getting weirder.

Sarah felt Brooke's fingers dig into her wrist, probably because Brooke predicted, accurately, that Sarah would be a bit jealous at the "my best little friend" description. She took the hint but was not going to diminish her close relationship with Noah because of Charlie's apparent tight connection with him. "Noey...is my little sidekick...I spoil him to death, and, so, he loves me...the _best_."

At that point, it was clear that Charlie couldn't handle any more and she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, then opening them again. She plastered a fake smile on her face. "Well, you guys...have fun," she said, turning to leave, but not before Sarah saw another tear roll down her cheek and her chin quiver. Charlie and Trevor made their way to the door, brushing past Ed and Olivia on the way.

"Charlie?" Ed said, grabbing her arm to try and stop her. She flung herself around, the tears streaming in torrents down her cheeks, and glared at him.

"We are leaving," she said firmly. "Let me know when you," then looked towards Olivia, " _either_ of you, want to explain to me what the hell just happened. But until then, I'm done."

Ed caught Trevor's eyes, both of them shrugging at the other, before the latter followed his distraught girlfriend out of the bar, allowing the wooden door to slam behind them.

Olivia looked helplessly at Ed, as they tried to absorb what had just happened. He seemed just as confused as she was, but not quite as concerned about Charlie's exit as she would have liked. "Well?" she asked him.

"Well what?" he asked, shrugging his shoulders. "Want a drink?" He walked himself over to the bar, leaving his wife a little stunned.

 _What the hell?_ She shook her head a bit, trying to clear the confusion from her brain, as she made her way back over to Sarah and Brooke. _Maybe Brooke has some kind of clue…._

The girls didn't notice Olivia approach and she overheard Brooke admonish Sarah.

"Goddammit, Sare, couldn't you just chill out for a little bit? Whatever's happening is not Charlie's fault, it's, as much as I hate to say it, _Dad's_."

"Dad would not do this to us. How in the hell could he have hidden this? And Livvie too? She's in on it? What is this? Some sick joke? Is that girl, like, his kid with Livvie and he and Livvie had some kinda fling years ago?"

As soon as Sarah finished the thought, Olivia put her arms around both girls' shoulders. "No, that's not the case here," she said gently, smoothing Sarah's hair. "Sweetheart, why don't you go get yourself cleaned up? Let me talk to Brooke."

Sarah nodded and made her way to the restroom.

Brooke stared at Olivia with curious eyes, "Olivia?"

The older woman returned the glance, "So, want to clear this up for me?"

Brooke scrunched up her face. " _What_?"

"How'd you find Charlie?"

"We didn't _find_ her. She and Trevor were here. We were here with Sonny...who," she looked over at her boyfriend, "who is probably going to need to take tomorrow off. And he saw Trevor and then we all started playing darts and drinking and we knew we all kind of looked alike. Then we realized we had similar parent stories. And then Dad showed up."

Olivia massaged her temples, "And you've never met Charlie before?"

Brooke rolled her eyes, frustrated with her normally sensible and clear-headed stepmother, " _No_. Liv. Seriously. This is crazy. Sarah's about to completely explode. Now Charlie isn't even here. Dad's like...trying to stay out of it and, as you can probably deduce...he's kinda the _root_ of it!"

"How many drinks have you had?"

"A lot."

"Well, nothing's going to get solved when everyone's under the influence. Let's get your Dad and go home. Rest a while. Then we can talk about it with clear heads."

"Okay," Brooke said reluctantly, not optimistic that anything was going to get resolved. However, there was more immediate concern, "Um, Liv? How are we gonna get Sonny out of here?"

"No, Tar-lie," Noah said, shaking his head as his sister tried to tuck the sheet into the couch. "That too short. We need chair."

Charlie rolled her eyes with a smile and proceeded to drag a dining room chair over, raising the sheet up just a bit. "Better?" She asked and Noah nodded approvingly.

"Da best," he said, crawling under the sheet and settling down by their popcorn and M&M's. "We watch movie?"

"You bet, pal," Charlie said, hitting play and running her fingers through the boy's hair. She knew she shouldn't let Sarah's comments get to her, but after leaving the bar and assuring Trevor she would be fine, she decided to relieve Lucy and spend the rest of her evening with Noah. Maybe everything at the bar was just some weird, drunken illusion that she could shake off in the morning. Charlie's eyes scanned the living room, noticing the familiarity of it all, but also some differences. Two picture frames sat side by side on the window seal: one of her, Noah, Ed, and Liv and the other one of Sarah, Brooke, Noah, Ed, and Liv. She shook her head a bit before looking back over there again. Yep, still the same pictures.

 _Has Dad really been hiding this from me? No. Not possible. I would've seen the picture. And Mom wouldn't lie to me. Also, Noah would have said something._

The young tyke shifted against her as he chuckled at the opening scene of Peter Pan, before settling back down and shoving a handful of chocolate into his mouth. Charlie gave him a soft kiss, then continued to look around the apartment for other signs of this double life her father was apparently leading. Just as she was noticing a few more picture frames on the table in the foyer, the door knob began to jiggle and she heard familiar voices get louder.

Sarah's voice predominated, "Daddy, I don't understand why you won't just tell-" Sarah stopped in her tracks causing Brooke to crash into her and Ed and Olivia to subsequently bump up against one another. Ed used the contact to tug a little at Olivia's waistband and she shot him an irritated look, not believing he was trying to flirt in the middle of this crisis.

"What?" he huffed innocently.

Olivia just narrowed her eyes further and waited for the fallout. They hadn't expected Charlie to be here.

Sarah balled her hands into tight fists. Her eyes nearly bled with ferocity as Noah, trailed by Charlie, poked his smiling, chocolatey face from the fort. He scrambled to stand up and ran over to greet Sarah and Brooke. Charlie emerged from the fort and regarded them with worried eyes.

Noah was the only one unaffected by the confusion, as he jumped up and down with his hands pointing to the three Tucker girls in the living room.

"Brookey! Sawah! AND Tar-lie! I have _**ALL**_ da sisters!"

…..

 **Uh-oh…we played the Noah card! Things could get ugly…or will they?**

 **Review?!**


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